1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecommunication systems, and more particularly to a voice messaging system intended to provide comprehensive services that meet the needs of both residential and business clients.
2. Background Information
Various message storage systems are well known in the prior art. These systems can be categorized as distributed, such as a private answering machine, or centralized, such as an answering service.
Answering machines are attached to a telephone customer's line. There they intercept incoming calls, play a recorded message to the caller, record any message the caller may wish to leave, and then provide some type of indication that a message is waiting. On noticing the message waiting indication, the owner of the answering machine can play back the recorded message and save or erase it.
Centralized message storage systems consist of attended services such as answering bureaus and automated services such as voice mail systems. These are typically subscription services in which customers contract to have their telephone forwarded to and answered by the service after a set number of rings or when the telephone is busy. The caller hears a personalized greeting and can leave a message to be passed to the subscriber at a later time.
In a typical answering bureau, a group of lines is connected from the central office to the bureau. Clients of the answering service can designate the conditions under which incoming calls to their telephones are to be forwarded to that service. For example, clients may desire to forward their calls when their telephone is busy, forward their calls after a pre-selected number of rings, or always forward their calls. One or more attendants located at the bureau receives and handles calls forwarded from clients. When the client is on the telephone, or does not answer the telephone, the incoming calls are forwarded to the answer bureau where they are answered by an attendant. At the same time, the electronic switching system forwards call information to the attendant, typically over a leased RS232 data line obtained from the central office operating company. Call information typically includes the directory number of the telephone called, the reason for forwarding and, if the calling telephone is within the same central office network, the directory number of the calling party. The attendant can then extend a personal greeting incorporating the name of the person being called and record a message. The type and tone of greeting used by the attendant can be selected by the client to reflect the client's line of business or personality. As an option, many telephone systems allow the attendant to notify the client via an audible message waiting indicator signal (e.g. a stutter dial tone) that there is a message waiting. The messaging service attendant activates this indicator for each line through a message sent back to the central office on the leased RS232 line.
Centralized automated voice mail systems are an alternative to the answering bureau. An automated voice mail system typically is a record and playback system that, in its most basic form, plays a pre-recorded message customized to the called telephone number to the incoming caller and then, under dual-tone multifrequency DMTF dialing control, records a message intended for the person being called. Voice mail systems derive their name from another feature; they permit subscribers to send voice messages to one or more other subscribers. Since these systems evolved from attended answering bureaus, they have retained many of the characteristics of an answering bureau. Like the answering bureau, automated voice mail systems typically are connected through a group of local lines to the central office. They also are connected via a dedicated data line to the Input/Output Processor at the central office. Like the answering bureau, they receive notification of an incoming forwarded call, its directory number and the reason it is being forwarded. If the caller originates within the same central office network, they also receive the directory number of the calling party. In voice mail systems, calls forwarded are answered with a pre-recorded message that may be customized for each client number and the reason the call was forwarded. The incoming caller is given an opportunity to record a message for the client. Callers can listen to their message and record a different message if desired. They then post the message to the client's reserved message storage area, or mailbox, and terminate the call. The automated voice mail system then notifies the client by activating the message waiting indicator, if available, via the dedicated data link.
The method of retrieving messages is generally the same in both attended and automated centralized message storage systems. The caller dials the directory number for the service, provides an identification code and security code or password, and requests messages. The messages are then relayed to the client.
In more sophisticated automated voice messaging systems, the directory number of the caller's telephone is compared against a list of client directory numbers and, on a match to a number on the client list, the client is asked for a password. Upon reception of the correct password, the client is given access to messages in his mailbox.
Automated voice messaging machines offer some advantages over answering bureaus. The caller is always greeted in the same way and with the same personalized message. The cost of equipment is greater for a voice mail system but this cost can be amortized across a large client base and there are significant savings in operating expense since there is no requirement for attendant salaries.
Present automated voice messaging systems also offer some advantages over customer owned answering machines. Customers benefit in terms of lower expense from the amortization of capital equipment across the customer base. This means that superior equipment with advanced features is available at a cost comparable to that of private answering systems. In addition, the customer is provided with a low cost upgrade feature as more advanced equipment is added to the voice mail service.
In addition, new and better services are available to the customer. For example, a major advantage in centralized systems is the ability to forward a call when the customer's telephone is in use. Answering machines require access to the same telephone line being used by the customer. Therefore, a call to a telephone that is busy offers no alternative to the caller but to call back later. Important calls may not get through to the customer. That this is perceived as a problem is demonstrated in the popularity of the call waiting feature offered by many telephone networks. Call waiting operates by providing a pulsed set of tones to the customer's telephone. The customer can then toggle the switchhook and answer the incoming call. The customer can then toggle the switchhook again to get back to the original party. An answering system that forwards and answers incoming calls on detection of a busy line would be more desirable than the call waiting feature since there is no need to interrupt the call in progress. The caller will be notified that the telephone is busy and will be able to leave a message if desired.
There are, however, some disadvantages in using a centralized voice mail system in place of a private answering machine. Present centralized voice mail systems are perceived by some as cumbersome to use. The variety of options provided by a voice mail system requires a sizeable menu to traverse an array of questions that the customer must answer in order to get through and retrieve messages or change their greeting message. In contrast, private answering machines are perceived as simple to use. Message retrieval is simple: the user typically pushes one or two buttons to play back all messages. New greeting messages can be recorded easily.
A second disadvantage in present centralized voice mail systems is that as the client base of a voice mail system grows the processing time needed to retrieve client information (such as directory number or password) mushrooms. System response will appear to slow as the voice mail system juggles the tasks of screening clients asking for messages, providing of those messages, answering incoming calls and recording messages from those incoming forwarded calls. This may be frustrating for the client attempting to retrieve his messages.
There is a need in the art for a centralized automated voice mail system for use by business and residential customers. This system should be as easy to program and to retrieve messages as an answering machine but offer features that are not available or economical in answering machine systems. At the same time, there is a need for a system for segregating clients into manageable groups for the retrieval of messages on automated messaging systems. The desired system should be flexible enough to work with existing voice mail systems and to offer a client interface that can be modified to meet the needs of certain client groups.